Art House Projects: Minamidera
disclaimer: there are no photos regarding the Minamidera experience, as it must be experienced in person.
On our second day staying in Naoshima, we visited Naoshima’s town centre where the Benesse Art House Projects are scattered across different parts of town. The Art House Projects aim to reoccupy many of the houses on the island which were previously uninhabited; allowing for them to be repurposed as art sites which only accentuate the island’s history.
The streets of Naoshima, specifically the Honmura District; where the Benesse Art House Project locations are scattered across town!
The most significant Art House Project location which stood out to me was Minamidera; which houses American artist James Turrell’s work. Before entering this space, I did not know what to expect; and was just greeted by the horrified yet amazed faces of those who saw the experience in the session before me.
Before entering, we were warned that the space was completely black and lacked any light at all, meaning we would have to feel around the walls to navigate ourselves into the space. I definitely underestimated how intense the darkness was, and how reliant I would become on my hands!
When I say that I have never been in a space so dark in my life- I mean it. The space was just so artificially dark to the point where it was almost suffocating. To be honest, I was feeling quite scared at first; the feeling of completely losing one of your main senses was completely petrifying.
Whilst sitting in the space, it felt like time was going by much slower than usual and that I was sitting there for ages before the viewing officially commenced. However, as soon as the guide spoke again in the space, I felt as if I had completely relaxed and stopped tensing. That was when I could see the box of ‘light’ emerging in front of me.
We were told that the conditions had not changed, only that our eyes had adjusted in the space. It was at this point that we were encouraged to approach the light, which was only an empty opening in the room. It felt cold and breezy on the face.
Overall, I found this experience to be completely unique to what I have experienced in the past. Turrell’s use of ‘painting with light’ is definitely a surreal experience which went from feeling very uncomfortable to very relaxing and refreshing. When I left the experience, I could not stop thinking about it.
In a way, I feel that this experience has changed my perception of light and how intelligent the human body truly is. How reliant we are on our senses, how we can quickly aid our senses when one is lost and how scary it can be when one is suddenly removed. This was one of the most visceral experiences I have felt up to date, though I am so glad I witnessed it myself.